Marc Cucurella has his heart set on a move to Manchester City this summer despite Chelsea being interested in the Brighton & Hove Albion full-back. The Spaniard impressed during his debut season in the Premier League and has attracted the likes of Man City and the Blues this summer.
Cucurella featured 34 times in the Premier League for the Seagulls, for whom he mostly played as a left-back. Despite spending one season down on the south coast after signing from Getafe last summer, his time at the Amex Stadium looks to be up.
According to The Athletic, City view Cucurella as a 'top-priority signing', with Pep Guardiola a big admirer of the Brighton star. The recently-crowned Premier League champions are now set to 'start formal contacts' with Brighton in the next few days to discuss a deal for the 23-year-old.
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football.london reported last month that Chelsea would need to pay close to the £50million Brighton got for Ben White last summer should the Seagulls offload Cucurella. Brighton will not stand in the way of Cucurella leaving the club should they receive what they deem an appropriate offer.
The Blues have always considered Borna Sosa as a cheaper and more attainable player to sign for the club. The VfB Stuttgart left-back was watched by Chelsea on several occasions last season and impressed in the process.
Marcos Alonso is understood to be keen on departing Chelsea during the window, with the left-back set to end his six-year tenure at Stamford Bridge. If Alonso does indeed leave, then the likelihood is Chelsea will step up their interest in Sosa to provide cover and competition to Ben Chilwell, who returned from a long-term injury on the final day of the 2021/22 campaign.
Centre-back remains a priority for Chelsea, though, despite their interest in Sosa. The Blues remain confident they can secure a deal to bring Jules Kounde to the club despite speculation that he could be on his way to Barcelona instead.
Chelsea and Kounde have a verbal agreement over personal terms, football.london understands, and the France international has a strong desire to play in the Premier League. Other central defenders are also being looked at with Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen both leaving the club this summer.
The Blues are also in the market for another attacker. Ousmane Dembele remains a top target for the west Londoners, with the soon-to-be free agent set to make a decision on his future very soon. Raheem Sterling and Christopher Nkunku are also of interest, but the latter of the two may prove too expensive for Chelsea this window.
